Disney instituting Credit Card guarantee for ADRs after 10/26/2011

[brivers222]

i got it as a facebook update from another site... (not able to name names here)

But yeah it only applies to ressies MADE after 10/26.... so if you don't make any changes after that point you basically just stay as you are.


25th is my 45 mark so i am "hoping" some cancellations open up and i can book some places I have been waiting for!

[buddie]

It is official.

[PopPhan]

Text of article:

Walt Disney World Changes its Dining Reservations Cancellation Policy
Posted on October 12, 2011 by {name removed}

Beginning October 26 Disney has adjusted their restaurant cancellation policy for certain restaurants. Guests will be required to provide a credit card to hold the reservation and there will be a $10 per person charge if the reservation is not canceled at least one day in advance. The list of restaurants is:

• 1900 Park Fare
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
• Artist Point
• California Grill
• Cape May Café
• Chef Mickey’s
• Cítricos
• The Crystal Palace
• Flying Fish Café
• The Garden Grill
• Hollywood & Vine
• Jiko – The Cooking Place
• Le Cellier Steakhouse
• Narcoossee’s
• ‘Ohana
• Tusker House Restaurant
• The Hollywood Brown Derby
• Yachtsman Steakhouse
• Victoria & Albert’s (cancellation policy is $25/per person)

Pre-paid dining locations will continue to charge the full, pre-paid amount if the reservation is not cancelled at least a day in advance. Those locations are:

• Cinderella’s Royal Table
• Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show
• Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
• Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

Reservations can be cancelled at any table-service restaurant podium, any resort ront desk, concierge or guest relations, online at DisneyWorld.com/Dining or by calling the dining cancellation number 407-WDW-CNCL.

[Goes4FastPass]

1. It's entirely true. I was sent a detailed update by my travel booker deluxe Wendy Darling at Magical Journeys. Once again, great service!

2. I'm all for this 100%. Too many smart-alec "insiders" book, overbook and doublebook blocking resources because they don't know what mood they'll be in that day. Meanwhile, well intentioned planners get locked out.

3. I'm all for this 100%. Accept my reservation, take my credit card number and If when I get to WDW I'm "too busy" to cancel, charge me.

[buddie]

It's entirely true.

What, you doubted me?

[dnickels]

I think it's a great idea for the same double/triple booking reasons others have mentioned.

I wouldn't get too worried about the 'what if we get sick an hour before our reservation' time issue. For all the penny pinching Disney does they actually are very accommodating when it comes to emergencies that come up.

[Granny Jill A]

I am one who does NOT like requirement that you make dining decisions 180 days out. I can understand some venues needing to know attendance figures so staffing can be arranged, but 6 months is a little much.

I'm glad other restaurant chains haven't picked up on this idea. Imagine having to call Olive Garden in January for a dinner in June.

A compromise would be to hold out a certain number of seats for walk-ups, and like FastPass, when they're gone they're gone.

[Strmchsr]

I wouldn't get too worried about the 'what if we get sick an hour before our reservation' time issue. For all the penny pinching Disney does they actually are very accommodating when it comes to emergencies that come up.

I checked with the official sources. There is no official contingency plan for emergency situations. It appears Disney will deal with those on a case by case basis (no guarantee they won't charge you if you have a sickness - but if you call or have one of your party show up and explain you'll at least have a chance of not being charged) but they are not going to put an official "out" in the policy because that would just lead to further abuse.

[FriendsofMickey]

I do not like it.

I agree with cancelling your ressies and being charged for a "no show", but why 24 hour notice?

As for the ones that said you should not be able to make multiple ressies for a set time (say lunch), I disagree. I have more than once had to make multiple ressies. We have had large groups goign down (grand gathering) and the restaraunts did not have the ressies to give us at one restaraunt, so we split them up. I was in charge of coordinating all the ressies. I would be surprised if thsi did not occur daily.

Again, I am all for them charging you if you just do not show up. I just do not think the window of 24 hours is reasonable.

For the record, I have twice had to cancel a ressie, but never missed one.

[TinkerbellT421]

I am 110% in favor of this policy.
This makes complete and perfect sense to me.
Personally, it really gets to me when people make last minute changes or just "don't show up to a reservation". I think there is a high number of people that are selfish and do not think of other people that are trying to get in reservations, book three or four reservations at three or four different restaurants to see "where they end up" and not have the curteousy to cancel ahead of time. That is just plain rude and I feel Disney has every right to require CC reservation. Especially that most of the restaurants listed are some of the first restaurants that fill up with reservations. I am sure they found that there was a high number of people making such reservations and just not showing up. And if you think about it, Disney is losing money on every reservation that "doesn't show up" because they are turning away guests that "walk up" because they are looking at reservations on their computers for people that are not going to appear and now the people they turned away could have been there.
DBF and I sit there and make tentative park locations on where we plan on being or if we are here will be able to go there and plan our meals accordingly. If others do not want to do that and make 3 reservations to pick and choose from the day of....I don't feel that's Disneys problem.
I am sure based on people's emergencies they will not charge.
Also, I personally feel this could be more of a "scare tactic" to those that may have less the honorable intentions for reserving. Would you make a reservation and not atleast make a curteously call of not being able to make it if you were going to be charged $10.00 per person?

[brivers222]

it would be really cool now if Disney could search for all ressies placed under a certain credit card... Last I checked 2 weeks ago they couldn't.

I had an instance where the online site said "i have conflicting reservations you must delete one" when I looked at my ressies I had just one that day HDDMR... but the message kept popping up when i went to view ressie sheet. So i called and they couldn't see any conflicting things, but my worry is that i might have had a Cali Grill way back at the 180 mark that I thought i deleted and it could still be there waiting for me in the abyss like my dark passenger to not show up and ding my card the 'no-show" price

[LVT]

1. I strongly disagree with the 24 hours. 2 hours would at least cover many of the emergency, traffic/ and I forgot.
2. " It is not a reservation" it is inappropriate to treat it that way.
3. CC changes are common at 180 days out.
4. We used to go to many of these places and now are not likely too, since I will not make many reservations under these rules. 5. I am already in data overload just to get to WDW.
I could cry.

[Tink1]

Posting as a person, not a travel agent.

I can see why the PTB at Disney are doing this, and frankly agree.

There are people who book dining "in case" free dining comes out.. They do it at the 180 day mark of their potential trip, doing it day by day.

These people have no set reservations, no air tickets, really no dog in the race. Yet they hold reservations "just in case".

You have NO idea how much that irks me.

Nanc

[brivers222]

last year we had a situation where we decided to go to a 3rd MNSSHP on a whim.... only problem was that we had a dinner reservation at Ohana that night. We "tried" to cancel it upon buying the party tickets... system was down so CM just said don't show up.

Problem is this time around Disney would be losing our $120 because I will not want to pay a $20 cancelation fee ($10 for each of us) to break our reservation... so in essenence this new rule would have stopped us from paying more to go to another party.

[brivers222]

Posting as a person, not a travel agent.

I can see why the PTB at Disney are doing this, and frankly agree.

There are people who book dining "in case" free dining comes out.. They do it at the 180 day mark of their potential trip, doing it day by day.

These people have no set reservations, no air tickets, really no dog in the race. Yet they hold reservations "just in case".

You have NO idea how much that irks me.

Nanc

I wonder if they should instead institue a 45 day booking rule... Meaning your trip (confirmation)has to be paid in full in order make a ressie...

I do understand that would stop some regular residents from booking... maybe they can have to log in with their state issued ID or something?


I booked 22 resservations at my 180 mark, but I had a reservation number and I have deluxe dining.... I would be willing to wait until the 45 day mark though to book.... if everyone else was.

[Tink1]

I wonder if they should instead institue a 45 day booking rule... Meaning your trip (confirmation)has to be paid in full in order make a ressie...

Personally feel 45 days is more than adequate to be plan dining. Doubt they would ever do that though.

I don't know what I want for dinner tonight, let alone 6 months from now.

But, I used to love the kiosks in Epcot to make same day dining (showing my age!)

Nanc

[brivers222]

Personally feel 45 days is more than adequate to be plan dining. Doubt they would ever do that though.

I don't know what I want for dinner tonight, let alone 6 months from now.

But, I used to love the kiosks in Epcot to make same day dining (showing my age!)

Nanc

lol we are going to disney on ice tonight... so we have to eat on the fly. t-minus 6 hours and NO IDEA what to eat

Disney is the only place I actually think about what to eat months in advance... and even then I change and tweak daily... not so much after the 26th... but i have changed dining options totally from my original plan haha

[Stickey]

The goal of preventing ADR abuse is a good one, however, I disagree with the 24 hour cancellation requirement. For no-shows, a charge would be acceptable. There should not be a fee if the ADR is cancelled prior to the reservation. The list of restaurants is also questionable.

There have been a few times that we have had to cancel an ADR within 24 hours. An ADR may need to be cancelled due to illness, travel delays, or a change in plans.

[Wolf]

I don't like this at all..Not that we've ever cheated the system but what if you run late? Will they charge you right at 7pm if your a few minutes late? Its not like these resturants are notorious for taking the "Opps my bad" approach to things...I think this will reduce our sit down meals by alot. Things like that happen ALOT when you don't have a car because Disney so awesomely provides transportation but that doesn't guarantee you can get there on time...I just dont like this idea...one more huge reduction to the magic...

[Granny Jill A]

Personally feel 45 days is more than adequate to be plan dining. Doubt they would ever do that though.

I don't know what I want for dinner tonight, let alone 6 months from now.

But, I used to love the kiosks in Epcot to make same day dining (showing my age!)

Nanc

Agree 100% - and I sure miss World Key